Ducks Digest

NCAA Tournament Betting Odds: No. 5 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 12 Liberty Flames

The Oregon Ducks men's basketball team will open up the NCAA Tournament against the Liberty Flames on Friday in Seattle, Washington as the March Madness bracket is set. Liberty claimed their first Conference USA title after topping Jacksonville State in the championship game.

Arden Cravalho

Mar 14, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle (32) celebrates after a play during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Mar 14, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle (32) celebrates after a play during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
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The NCAA Tournament bracket is set, and the No. 5 Oregon Ducks don't have to go far to Seattle in their opening round matchup to play the Conference USA Conference champion No. 12 Liberty Flames. Tip-off is set for Friday at 7:10 p.m. PT at the Climate Pledge Arena. The game will be broadcast on TruTV.

Oregon fans from all across the Pacific Northwest will make their way to the first-round game; that goes without saying with only 280 miles between Eugene and Seattle. As for Liberty from Lynchburg in Virginia, it will be a roughly 2,770-mile voyage for Flames fans.

The No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup always jumps out when taking an early gander at the March Madness bracket. Since 2018 in the Round of 64 results, the No. 5 seed has a winning record against the No. 12 seed, 16-8.

Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman watches his team during the second half
Feb 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman watches his team during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images / Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Liberty is undefeated this season at 25-0 when they keep their opponent under 70 points, and they are one of the hottest teams entering the NCAA Tournament field. Majority of that success is due to junior forward Zach Cleveland in thanks to his versatility on both sides of the floor.

Besides the 10.9 points per game contribution, he leads the team in both rebounds at 6.3 per game as well as rebounds at 5.1 per game. Even further, he can protect the rim with his 1.0 blocks per game. The complete game changer when it comes to Flames coach Ritchie McKay's strategy.

Liberty Flames head coach Ritche McKay reacts
Nov 29, 2020; Kansas City, MO, USA; Liberty Flames head coach Ritche McKay reacts to a play against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

McKay has been apart of the university's transition from the Atlantic Sun Conference to Conference USA back in 2023. In both leagues, he has found major success with this being his third NCAA Tournament invitation since 2018-19.

Another key threat for the Flames is senior guard Taelon Porter who leads the team at 13.9 points per game on a high shooting clip of 58.6 field goal percentage and 46.0 three-point percentage. His background is different from most Division-I college basketball players, starting out with Tennessee Tech in 2020-21 before having to drop down to Division-II at Arkansas Tech.

Liberty doesn't play at a fast pace but has one of the better tempos for their offense at the mid-major level. They take care of the ball and rank No. 24 in the country with 16.9 assists per game.

"Liberty's been terrific, the Flames are really hot. Hard team to play against, but I too like Oregon moving on in this particular match."

- CBS Sports' Clark Kellogg

Defensively, the Flames are one of the best in the nation. Liberty's 62.9 points allowed per game ranks No. 11 and permit just 40.1 field goal percentage which puts them at No. 19 in college basketball. This group is very well balanced on both sides of the ball.

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Oregon coach Dana Altman has led the Ducks to 24-9 overall record and towards the latter part of Big Ten Conference play, he has made a noticeable difference on the defensive end. Since 2010-11, Oregon has the most the wins in March at a record of 75-31 (.708) under Altman. The 66-year-old has the ability to change his defensive scheme no matter the opponent he goes up against.

"I like Oregon as a five (seed). Oregon is tough to play against in the tournament because Dana Altman changes defenses so much... I think they could get past Liberty, and I also think they've played Arizona before, they can get past them too."

- Jay Wright, former Villanova head coach
Oregon head coach Dana Altman calls out
Oregon head coach Dana Altman calls out as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

According to FanDuel, the opening game lines have Oregon as a -6.5 favorite. The over/under is set at 141.5. The money line for the Ducks is -275, the Flames at +220.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho has been covering Oregon football and basketball for Sports Illustrated's Oregon site since June 2024. Arden has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018. His other work can be seen on "The Slipper Still Fits" at SB Nation. Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, CA, Arden continues to follow his passion for college sports with a focus on the Ducks. His experience and dedication to covering Oregon's athletic programs are evident in his insightful articles and analysis

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